The Golden Group
by scoop-the-warrior
Summary: What would have happened if Remus never returned to Tonks? How would things have changed, not only for Tonks, but the Golden Trio?


**_A/N: Currently, this story is a One-Shot. If you'd like it and would like me to continue, drop me a review saying so. Otherwise, I'll leave it as is._**

**_Disclaimer__: I don't own Harry Potter, and I'm certainly not making any money by posting here._**

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><p>It was late at night, and one Harry James Potter just couldn't sleep. Ron and Hermione, his two friends and travel - adventure? - partners had both dropped off hours ago, but he just couldn't. Not that he hadn't tried, of course. Harry had laid in bed for two hours, trying in vain to get his brain to shut off so he could actually get a good night's rest for once in his life, but it just wouldn't happen.<p>

Harry knew exactly what was keeping him awake, and for once it wasn't the worry that Voldemort would invade his dreams. No, it was all because of the visitor they'd had earlier that night.

_I thought you were a good guy, Remus_, Harry thought, shaking his head in the dark room. Remus had been a friend of his dad's, and the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher he'd had during his time at Hogwarts. Upon meeting the man, back when Harry was only thirteen, he'd looked up to and respected the man for being a good teacher. That turned into seeing him like an uncle when he found out that Remus was one of his father's closest friends. And now that was all shot to hell.

It had been bad enough for Harry when Sirius died. Somehow, it felt worse to know that Remus wasn't the man Harry thought he was.

Giving up on the notion of sleep altogether, Harry got out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. It looked so different to when Harry and his friends had stayed in the house when they were fifteen. Then, it was dark, dank, and reeked of dark magic. Now, with the help of a house elf whose attitude had changed quite a bit, it was...well, not homely, but a lot more inviting. Sighing, he sat down on one of the dining chairs and stared up at the ceiling.

"Master Harry, Kreacher was not expecting anyone to be up this early," a voice said. Harry turned his head to find Kreacher standing a few feet from him. Where the elf had come from, Harry had absolutely no idea. The elf could be annoyingly sneaky when he wanted to be. "Is there anything Kreacher can get for Master Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm right, Kreacher," he said, turning his attention to the ceiling once more. "Just couldn't sleep, that's all."

"Does Master Harry wish for Kreacher to warm up some milk?"

Harry tried to suppress a snort at that. He very much doubted that warm milk would help. "Nah, I'm okay," he said. Kreacher bowed deeply and moved to leave, but then Harry had a sudden thought...he couldn't go anywhere on his own without risking his life, but Kreacher? Well, he might be able to check on things. "Hey, Kreacher?"

"Yes, Master Harry?"

"There is something you can do. I need you to find Remus Lupin. Don't go up to him and don't let him know you're near. Just...find where he is, and then come back here and let me know. Can you do that?"

Kreacher bowed again. "Yes, Master Harry, Kreacher will find Remus Lupin," he said in his low voice, and then with a click of his little elf fingers, disappeared. Harry sighed and looked up at the ceiling again. He really, really hoped Kreacher would return and say that Remus had returned to Tonks. That would be the right thing to do, the thing that James - or what Harry had been told about his father - would do. That would be the honourable thing.

That would be what Harry would have thought Remus would do. However, if Kreacher returned and said that Remus had not returned to his pregnant wife...that would mean that Remus certainly wasn't the sort of person Harry thought he was.

When sleep finally did come for Harry that night, it was fitful and didn't last long at all. As a result, he was the first person awake. Seeing as Kreacher was off finding Remus for Harry, he decided to make breakfast for himself, Ron and Hermione. Even though it had been a while since he'd had to make breakfast - one of the many advantages of not living with the Dursley's - he fell into the role quite quickly.

"Something smells good!" Ron's voice said as he bounded down the stairs. Harry, who was sitting at the table, looked up just in time for Ron to come into the dining room - and then stop when he saw it was Harry that had made everything and not Kreacher. The surprise on his face was quite funny to Harry, even though he didn't react outwardly. "Mate? Why are you cooking? Did Kreacher chuck a wobbly? Knew it was bound to happen again sooner or later, that elf is-"

"Ron, be nice," Hermione said, coming up behind him. "Oh this looks marvelous, Harry," she told him, moving forward to sit at the table. After shooting Hermione a look, Ron joined her, both sitting across from Harry.

"Since when do you know how to cook?" Ron asked as he loaded up his plate with sausages and bacon. Harry just shrugged in answer. He'd never told either of his friends much about his life at the Dursley's. It was easier that way. No questions asked, no explanations needed, no pitying looks. "Maybe we should change your name to Harriet!"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, also taking her fair share of food. "Not that I mind, Harry, but why _are_ you cooking? Where's Kreacher?"

For a second, Harry wondered what to tell them. If he was being honest, he didn't want either of them to know that he was so worried over the whole Remus/Tonks situation. After all, his first priority should be on destroying the Horcruxes, not worrying about a lover's spat. So, without going into great detail, he simply said, "he's looking into something for me."

Hermione nodded, as if recognising that Harry didn't wish to say anymore on the subject. Ron, on the other hand, opened his mouth - which displayed a disturbing sight of half chewed sausages - to ask something else. He didn't get a chance, though, as Hermione stamped on his foot underneath the table.

Or at least, Harry assumed that was what happened. It seemed likely, especially if the loud "ow" that came out of Ron was anything to go by. Harry smiled appreciatively at Hermione while Ron glowered at his plate. Deciding it was time move on from his culinary skills and where Kreacher was, Harry leant forward.

"So, what are we doing today?" He asked, looking from Ron to Hermione. "More Ministry surveillance?"

Hermione nodded. "We need to know everything we can before we go banging on their doors. If we don't know everything we possibly can, we run the risk of being unsuccessful, or even worse, being found out."

Inwardly, Harry agreed with her. He'd read enough Muggle books - well, he'd read enough of the ones that Dudley got for birthdays and Christmases and then threw away because he hated books - to know that planning was everything. Ron, on the other hand, didn't seem to realise that.

"Planning again?" He asked, looking quite annoyed at that fact. "When are we going to start actually doing something?"

"Planning is something, Ronald," Hermione told him. "Just because we're not out there hexing Death Eaters doesn't mean we're not doing nothing at all. Planning is a very important step in any war, or even any activity even. Without it -"

"Oh, spare me the lecture," Ron grumbled. Harry looked at him, wondering why he seemed more grouchy than usual. Perhaps it was because Harry hadn't given any more detail as to where Kreacher was...or perhaps it was because he and Hermione weren't as close as what he'd like. Harry wasn't blind; he knew Ron was quite stuck on Hermione. Once upon a time, he'd thought Hermione felt the same, but now he wasn't so sure. There seemed to be more tension than normal, and that worried him.

Not wanting the two of them to get into a fight, he spoke. "Hermione's right, Ron. Dumbledore never really had a plan other than finding and destroying the things, and look what happened. If he'd planned better...maybe Malfoy wouldn't have turned out the way he did, maybe Snape wouldn't have betrayed him and maybe he never would have drunk that damn potion that made him so weak in the first place."

_Maybe._ Too many bloody maybe's. Harry hated that word.

"But -"

"We're going to plan this properly, that's final," Harry told him, pushing back his chair and standing up. "I don't know about either of you, but I don't really want to end up dead. I'm going to have a shower."

"Harry -"

"Ron, shh!" Hermione said as Harry headed out the door and up the stairs. He shook his head. He loved his friends, but sometimes they got on his nerves. Ron more than Hermione; at least she seemed to think the same things that he did. Ron, on the other hand...it seemed that he thought they'd be winging it, making it up as they go along.

_Well, we technically are,_ Harry thought, stepping into the bathroom. He closed the door and quickly undressed, then stepped under the cool water, letting it calm him down. _Why do I feel like this is going to be a long year?_

That thought made him laugh. He'd had the exact same thought at the start of every year at Hogwarts, each for different reasons: the stuttering Quirrel, Lockheart, Dementors, the Tournament, the Toad, having Snape as a Defence teacher...and now going on the run.

_Just a day in the life of Harry potter, really,_ he thought, shaking his head. Normal life and Harry just did not seem to get along.

That night, Harry didn't even bother going to bed at the same time that Ron and Hermione did. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep properly again, so he saw very little point in doing so. Instead, he went into the library - which they'd discovered on their second night, much to Hermione's delight - and found a book on dangerous creatures that looked interesting enough. Who knew, maybe it would even prove to be helpful; Harry was sure they'd run into something at least one time on their journey.

He sat down on the ground, not even bothering to go find a more comfortable chair, and started to read. As it turned out, the book was quite interesting and he got so into it that he lost track of time, that he become completely immersed into it and forget about everything surrounding him...so much so that a loud popping noise startled him so badly that he cried out in shock.

"Kreacher!" He gasped, looking at the elf that was standing in front of him.

"Kreacher did not mean to frighten Master Harry," he said in his low voice. "Kreacher only wished to let Master Harry know what he found, but he can come back when Master Harry is not busy."

Harry shook his head. "It's fine, Kreacher, I was just startled, that's all. Did you find Remus?"

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Master Harry, Kreacher found the one called Remus."

"Where was he?" Harry asked. _Please say with Tonks, please say with Tonks, please say with Tonks..._

"Kreacher found the man named Remus in a pub just outside of london, Master Harry. He was passed out at the bar."

_Well, crap._

"Is there anything else Kreacher can do for Master Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, thanks, Kreacher. Thank you for finding out where he was," Harry said. Kreacher bowed once more and then left. Once Harry was alone, he groaned and put his head in his hands. Apparently, Remus was _not _the person he thought he was.

"Harry?" A new voice said. Harry looked up to find Hermione standing in the doorway. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you yell something just before."

Trust Hermione to hear him. Harry was willing to bet that Ron was still in his bed, snoring away. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said, giving her a slight smile. "I was just surprised, that's all. Kreacher returned and scared me half to death."

"Oh, I was worried something was wrong," Hermione said. She moved forwards and sat down next to him. "Hanging out in the library, huh? That's not something you normally do. Something must be wrong."

"Oh, ha ha," Harry said, shaking his head at her. "You know, I like reading just as much as you do...I just don't show it as much. Which you know full well," he told her. When they were at Hogwarts, they'd go to the library quite often to just get away from everyone else. Hardly anyone knew that fact, and Harry liked to keep it that way. It was bad enough he was the Boy-Who-Lived. it would be even worse if everyone found out he was also the Boy-Who-Was-A-Bookworm.

Hermione just smiled at him. "So, where'd you send Kreacher off to anyway?" She asked. Harry just shrugged. "Oh no, don't you go giving me that, Harry James Potter. Something has been on your mind all day and I bet it has something to do with whatever you needed Kreacher for. Now spill."

"Yes ma'am," Harry grinned at her. "I sent Kreacher to find out where Remus got to, that's all."

"Remus?" Hermione asked. "You haven't changed your mind about that, have you?"

Harry shook his head. "No. No way. He's the one that married Tonks and he's the one that got pregnant. He should take that responsibility, not come on the run with us. No, I just sent Kreacher to find out if he'd done the right thing and gone home to her."

"And...has he?" Hermione seemed almost hesitant to ask. Harry couldn't blame her. Sometimes, it was far easier to live in the fake, hopeful world than to live in the real one which seemed to be filled with so much pain. Harry didn't say anything. He just looked at her, and then looked down. Hermione seemed to understand what wasn't spoken. "Oh dear. Poor Tonks."

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. Poor Tonks indeed. Pregnant, and alone, abandoned by the man she loves.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said. He looked up at her, surprised.

"What for?"

"I know you looked up to him. It can't be easy...knowing he would do...this."

Harry shrugged. "It's Tonks that you should feel sorry for, not me."

"He's the last link to your parents, though," Hermione argued. "You can't tell me this isn't bothering you. If it wasn't, you wouldn't have sent Kreacher to go find out if he'd done the right thing and returned to her, or if he'd done a runner. Which clearly, he has."

"Apparently he's at some pub, drunk and passed out."

Hermione looked surprised at that bit of information. "Remus? In a pub?"

"Apparently so."

She shook her head. "I didn't think he'd be the type. Not Remus. He always seemed...so level headed. Remember when Sirius would tell us stories of the four of them at school? Remus was the one with a clear head, the one with common sense. I guess I was wrong about that."

"We all were," Harry murmured. "We all were." Hermione was right, as always. Remus didn't seem the type to do a runner, but it seemed he was going to anyway. And the fact that it was the man Harry saw as an uncle made accepting the fact that they were all wrong so much worse.

Still, he couldn't complain. He wasn't the one who was married to the man. Harry had to wonder how Tonks was feeling. _I wonder if I should see her…_ Harry thought. He knew it wouldn't be the safest thing to do in the world, but he'd grown to like Tonks quite a bit over the years and felt sick at the thought of her in pain - and alone - because of Remus' actions.

The only problem was that he didn't know if she'd accept visitors, especially visitors in the form of him, the 'Undesirable' one, the one who would probably remind her of Remus. _When things settle down, _Harry decided. _When things settle down, when some time has passed, I'll go see how she's doing._

The problem with making plans for the future was that they so often fell through...or they did in Harry's life, anyway. Things never did quite settle down properly after that night in the library with Hermione. Their plans to get into the Ministry didn't go quite as planned, and they never did return to Grimmauld place. Instead, they started living in a tent.

Things soon started to get quite tense. Harry supposed it was because the three of them were together constantly, with nowhere to go for a break. And while Harry loved his friends, there was only so much he could take of their bickering, Ron moaning about the lack of food and Hermione correcting him all the time. Everything was made worse by the damn locket they'd still yet to destroy.

Just over a month had passed, and they'd to find anything more. Tensions were running higher than normal, with Ron complaining about the fact they hadn't found anything more and Hermione suggesting all kinds of places, only for Ron to say she was mental for suggesting whatever place it was. Harry rather wanted a break from it all, so when Hermione suggested that one of them go to a nearby town and find something to eat, Harry jumped at the chance.

Only he didn't go into town. Instead he apparated to the small isolated house he knew that Tonks had taken refuge in. Harry only knew where it was because of Kreacher; he'd sent the elf to find her only a few days before they went to the Ministry.

Swallowing, nervous about what he'd find, he walked up the front path and knocked on the door. He was wearing his invisibility cloak, of course, though if he knew Tonks, she had wards around the house that alerted her to his presence.

Unsurprisingly, Tonks opened the door with her wand pointed right at him. "Show yourself," she said sternly. "I know you're there."

He pulled off his invisibility cloak, and watched as her face ran through a myriad of emotions before settling on indifference. "Hey Tonks," Harry said softly.

She narrowed her eyes. "What did I say about Muggles when we came to rescue Harry Potter on his fifteenth birthday?"

"What?"

"Answer the question...or I'll hex you," Tonks said in a frighteningly low voice. _Oh, of course, security question in case I've been polyjuiced,_ Harry realised. "If you don't answer in five seconds, you'll be losing a limb."

_That_ got his attention. "Um...you said that muggles were unnaturally clean...then we went into my room and you said it was better," Harry answered. To his surprise, though, Tonks didn't lower her wand.

"Go on. Ask me something."

"Tonks -"

"Do it."

Harry sighed. "Okay...uh. Why did ask if anyone could learn to become a metamorphmagus?"

At that, Tonks snorted. "Oh Jeez, mate, anyone would know the answer to that one - to cover that great big whoppin' scar on your noggin!"

_Oh yeah, it's definitely Tonks,_ Harry thought, amused. Only she would word it like that. "Right, well, are you going to let me in or what?" He asked, grinning at her. Tonks rolled her eyes and stepped aside, allowing access to the house. "Thanks."

"Tea?" She asked, closing the front door and beckoning him further into the house.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Harry said as they walked past a very small living room and into an even smaller kitchen. "Nice place you've got here, Tonks. Small, but nice." It reminded him of a little cottage.

"Yes, well, it's only me," she said, sounding rather bitter about that fact. _So he never returned...oh Remus. I thought you'd do the right thing, even after a couple of months_. "Sit, make yourself comfortable," Tonks told him, gesturing towards a small dining table. Harry did so. As Tonks moved around making the tea he noticed that she still wasn't showing. He thought that was a bit unusual - it had been weeks since Remus had come to tell them the news. _Maybe it's different for witches..._

"So, care to tell me why you're here?" Tonks asked, setting down two mugs of tea on the table. "Because, you know, I didn't quite expect to find you on my doorstep. You're supposed to be off doing something for Dumbles, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "It's going...slower than anticipated, though, and...well, I wanted to come visit you ages ago. Some things got in the way."

"Like breaking into the Ministry?" She asked as Harry took a sip of the steaming mug of tea. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes, we know all about that. You should have seen Molly. She wasn't pleased. I reckon Sirius would have been proud, though."

Harry smiled at the mention of his Godfather. "You think so?"

"Absolutely. You were never around when you guys did the Dumbledore's Army thing at Hogwarts. He was as proud as a peacock. Told everyone who would listen what you guys were doing. Snape threatened to hex him more than once because of it."

_That_ was something Harry hadn't expected. "Snape? He knew the whole time?"

"Yep, him and McGonagall. What, you think they had no clue? Of course they did. Everyone in the Order knew, mostly because Sirius wouldn't shut up about it."

"They never let on that they knew," Harry murmured. He would have thought Snape would give them all detentions if he ever found out. Perhaps Snape hated Umbridge as much as everyone else.

Tonks leant back in her chair. "No, how could they? The Toad would have found out and you would have all been in a lot more trouble," she said. "Seriously, Harry, what brings you by? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it wasn't to catch up about old times. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine," he told her. "Just...wanted to see how you were, I guess."

Tonks narrowed her eyes. "You know." It was a statement rather than a question. Harry nodded. "How? Remus tell you?"

"Yeah," Harry said softly. "He came by before the whole Ministry thing, probably would be two months ago now. He never returned, did he?"

Harry half expected Tonks to get sad...he remembered when she was in love with him and Remus refused her advances. Then, she'd been quite depressed. Instead of sadness, though, she looked like she'd murder Remus if she was given the chance. "No. He didn't. Why'd he come to you?"

_What do I tell her?_ Harry wondered, and then decided that he should probably just tell the truth. Tonks was an Auror, after all - she'd know if he was lying. "He wanted to join us, me, Ron and Hermione, on our...mission for Dumbledore."

"And did you let him?"

"No way!" Harry exclaimed, perhaps louder than he intended. Tonks raised an eyebrow. "I knew something wasn't right, Tonks, when he asked us...he told us the truth eventually that...that you're pregnant. I accused him of running away, which he was, clearly, and said I wasn't going to help him with that. Said some other stuff too, but that's not important."

"Were."

Harry, who'd been about to take a gulp of his tea, set down his mug. "Sorry?"

"_Were_ pregnant, Harry, not am."

His mouth dropped open. "You...you lost -"

Tonks nodded once, her hair - which had been dark purple colour - changing to brown. "Unfortunately. Doctors say it was because of stress, after...after he left."

Inwardly, Harry swore. "I...I'm so sorry, Tonks. I...I don't know what to say." What did one say under those circumstances? Harry bet Hermione would know...but he was never a good one with emotions.

She shook her head. "It's fine. It happened. I've accepted it...now I just need to move on, you know? Can't mope around all day."

He nodded. He had to agree with that one. "True."

"So you said no? Why? I thought you and Remus were close."

"Operative word there, Tonks, is _were_. My parents didn't chose to leave me, make me grow up alone, but I'd never, in a million years, wish that on anyone. Not even Malfoy," he said, shaking his head. "Remus was willing to abadon his child and his wife. I couldn't stand by and allow that. No way. I haven't seen him since."

"He never came back Grimmauld place?"

"No. And thank goodness for that. I probably would have hexed his...uh...nether regions off."

At that, Tonks let out a shout of laughter. "Oh Harry, you're such a dork. A lovable dork, but a dork all the same."

"Jee, thanks," Harry said wryly, but smiled at her. "So, you still working?"

"No. I haven't been since Remus and I got married...took a leave of absence. Good thing, too, I'd hate to work under the current government," Tonks told him, her hair returning to the dark purple. "And what about you? What have you been doing?"

"Sitting in a tent mostly," he told her honestly. He could tell her at least that much. "So what have you been doing then, if you're not working?"

"A buttload of reading."

Harry smiled at her phrase. "A buttload, really?"

"Yep."

"Tonks, you're weird."

"As are you," she grinned, leaning across the table and ruffling his already messy hair. Harry was struck by how easy it was to be around her. It had always been that way between them, though it wasn't anything romantic. To Harry, she was more like an older sister...or older cousin. Some sort of family member, anyway. His last link to Sirius and by extension, his parents. Perhaps that was why he was so comfortable with her. Even though though he'd only been in her house for less than an hour, he was already dreading having to leave again. Somehow, Tonks made everything seem lighter.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Hey, Tonks?" He asked. "If you're not doing anything...d'you maybe want to join us? We haven't been doing much, mainly searching, but four sets of eyes are better than two...and maybe it's time three became four...and I bet Hermione would be glad of the company; she's probably lonely being the only female...and your skills would help us heaps, so would -"

"Harry," Tonks interrupted, holding up a hand. "Stop trying to sell the idea to me. If it helps get rid of old Snake-Face, then I'm in. Getting to hang around - and protect - my baby brother is just a bonus."

He raised an eyebrow. "Baby brother?"

"Yep."

"I am not a baby."

"You're younger than me."

"And I'm not your brother."

"Semantics," she said, waving a hand. "In case you haven't realised, me and you are pretty much the last generation in the Black family line, unless you count Draco Malfoy. Which I do not."

Harry stared at her. "Well, nor do I, but...Tonks, I'm not related to the Black family line..."

"You shut up right there," Tonks interrupted him sharply. "Sirius thought of you like a son which to me means you're part of the family line. Besides, it was you he left everything to in his Will. You're part of the family, don't you ever think otherwise. Got it?"

Harry rolled his eyes, but was really quite touched by her words. He still had family, apparently. "Okay, okay, I get it. Jeez, if you're going to act like this maybe we won't want you around..."

Tonks reached across and slapped his arm. "Quiet. You already offered and I accepted. You're stuck with me."

"Bugger," Harry said, grinning while Tonks laughed. It felt great to actually be able to joke around and laugh with someone...hopefully having Tonks around would make things easier.

And hopefully Ron and Hermione would accept her presence. Harry knew he should have asked them first, but...well, as she said, they were the last generation in the Black family line. Harry didn't have much family, so he was going to do everything he could to keep what he did have around at all times.

_Besides, _he thought as Tonks told him she was going to quickly pack some stuff up, _she's smart and having an Auror on our side will help keep us alive. They can't say no to that. _


End file.
